RCMP not at fault after B.C. man didn’t look both ways, got hit by car

B.C.’s police watchdog ruled Prince George RCMP were not at fault when a man was hit by a car after being released from custody.

The report, released Monday by the Independent Investigations Office, details how police arrested and detained a man for an “alcohol-related offence” after responding to a disturbance in Prince George on the night of Sept. 14.

The man was placed in a prison cell at 6:46 p.m. and let out at 2:54 a.m. when Mounties found him to be “fit for release.”

Three minutes after leaving the detachment, the man was hit by a vehicle while crossing the street.

He was taken to hospital with broken ribs, a broken arm, a head injury and additional fractures.

The watchdog said video footage of the man’s release showed “no signs of impairment,” and that the man spoke normally and was dressed for the weather when he left the detachment.

“[The man’s] release more than eight hours after the arrest was ample time for the effects of intoxication to dissipate,” the watchdog said.

The report noted camera footage shows the man not looking for cars before he crossed the four-lane roadway. A southbound car had slowed down for him, but another hit him northbound.